Attempting to branch out from the portable GPS world, Garmin has unveiled a new 477.70 AED ($129.99) device that emulates the kind of heads up displays normally found only on luxury cars.

Linked to a user’s Bluetooth-enabled smartphone, the new Garmin HUD projects information onto a special transparent film affixed to a windshield. Among other things, the system displays current speed, the road’s speed limit and, when used with navigation, details about upcoming turns and an estimated arrival time.

Users need to download Garmin’s 106.60 AED ($29) and up StreetPilot and Navigon applications, which are available for Android, iOS and Windows Phone 8. One downside is that the system needs the special film, so users won’t be able to easily move the Garmin HUD system from car to car. 

Derived from aircrafts, heads up technology is hardly new – General Motors, in particular, has used it for more than 25 years. But it’s generally reserved for high-end cars. Garmin is the first major firm to offer the technology as a relatively low cost aftermarket item.

Garmin says that HUD will hit the market in the next couple of weeks.

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